C1: Intro to Personality Theory Flashcards
Pattern of relatively permanent TRAITS and unique CHARACTERISTICS giving behavior consistency and individuality
Personality
Individual differences of behavior in consistency OVER TIME, and stability ACROSS SITUATIONS.
Trait
Traits may be unique to a group, but it differs individually in its
Pattern
Unique qualities like temperament, physique, and intelligence
Characteristics
A set of RELATED ASSUMPTIONS that allows scientists to use logical DEDUCTIVE reasoning to formulate TESTABLE HYPOTHESES
Theory
How the theorist’s psychological processes & personal characteristics affect their scientific theory and research development
Psychology of Science
A useful theory:
Generates Research Organizes and Explains data Guides Actions Parsimonious Falsifiable Internally Consistent
A theory’s ability to be confirmed or disconfirmed
Falsifiability
Effect of falsifiability to a theory:
Discards or modifies ideas not empirically supported
Effect of an organized and reasonable explanation on research data:
Classifying/organizing data makes coherent and meaningful data.
Meaningful data makes intelligible framework.
IF makes intelligible questions or hypotheses leading to research.
How a useful theory guides a practitioner:
Helps discerning course of action for a case
An internally consistent theory has
A defined scope limitation
Uses language in a consistent manner
Observable and measurable events or behavior
operational definition
Consistency of test results show
Reliability
Measuring what it’s supposed to measure
Validity
Two types of validity
Construct V
Predictive V
Extent an instrument measures a hypothetical construct (e.g. extraversion)
Construct V
Hypothetical constructs should relate to
observable behavior
Three types of Construct V
Convergent CV
Divergent CV
Discriminant CV
If an instrument score correlates highly with other instruments measuring the same construct
Convergent CV
If an instrument score has low or insignificant correlation with other inventories that DO NOT measure the construct
Divergent CV
If an inventory discriminates two groups known to be different (e.g. introversion and extraversion)
Discriminant CV
The extent an instrument predicts future behavior
Predictive V
The ultimate value of a measuring instrument is
the degree to which it can PREDICT FUTURE BEHAVIOR
